How to Have Good Breath and Get Rid of Morning Breath

In this article we will discuss ways you can get good breath for life! First we will pinpoint the source of your breath problems secondly we will explain strategies to freshen your breath based on the source of the problem. Lastly we will look at underlying health problems that can cause chronic breath problems.

Morning Breath, everyone has had it but did you know there are three main ways you can develop bad breath? Let’s figure out how to eliminate bad breath.

Why does breath smell in the morning?

Dry Mouth: When you sleep your mouth dries out because your body produces less saliva. If you snore or breath through your mouth while sleeping it can make bad breath worse. You may be surprised to know that your saliva works to kill bacteria so when your mouth becomes dry those bacteria multiply and make smelly gases when they do. Some medications can cause dry mouth, this will also increase your bad breath problems.

Using Certain Toothpastes: You heard us correctly, some toothpastes and mouthwashes actually cause bad breath. While these toothpastes may leave you feeling minty after brushing, they contain ingredients that make you develop a film in your mouth overnight. That film gives bacteria a cozy home while you sleep.

Have you ever woken up and felt like you could peel skin off the inside of your cheek? Likely that is an allergic reaction to one of the chemicals in your toothpaste. Often times this is caused by whitening chemicals, antibiotic ingredients, flavorings or tartar control agents. You should switch toothpastes immediately, try a paste without artificial ingredients, flavorings or harsh chemicals like our Coconut Oil Toothpaste or Sweet Spice Toothpowder. Our customers are about our powder’s ability to get rid of bad breath over time.

Diet: Morning breath is not just a mouth problem, bad breath also comes from gasses escaping your stomach. If you eat a dinner with a lot of garlic, spices or processed food you may wake up with breath that can peel paint. Try cutting back on spices at dinner or eating parsley, mint or fennel before going to bed. These three herbs not only freshen breath but also help aid digestion.

If you eat processed foods regularly you may also have breath problems, the high starch carb and sugar content of these foods feed bad bacteria in the mouth and stomach.

Sickness: Does your breath smell like mothballs? Post nasal drip happens when your sinuses overproduce mucus causing the fluids to drip backwards and pool in your throat. This mucus acts as a farm for bacteria where they grow and multiply more quickly than normal and cause a bad odor. If you have a sinus infection the problem will be worse because the bacteria from your infection will now pool in your throat overnight. Using a neti-pot or bottle regularly will help to alleviate and prevent post-nasal drip problems therefore reduce your bad breath. If you have an infection visit your doctor for the correct medication.

Tonsil stones can give off a foul smell like dirty diapers, look in the mirror and use a flashlight to inspect the back of your throat, if you see off-white spots those are calcified bacteria and food commonly called tonsil stones. You can visit your primary care doctor to have them removed with a swab, no surgery required.

How to have good breath?
We will give you some tips to help you wake up with better breath in just a few weeks!

1. Brush and floss regularly: This tip is obvious but we cannot stress it enough, brushing and flossing before bed is the best way to reduce morning breath. Brushing removed the food particles that feed the stinky bacteria in your mouth. Flossing removes food particles from between teeth which is the bacteria’s favorite hiding spot. Opt for a biodegradable floss to help cut down on the billions of miles of plastic floss thrown into landfills every year.

2. Scrape your tongue: Your tongue’s surface is covered in tiny crevices where bacteria love to hide and where smelly foods like garlic love to leave their mark. Using a quality tongue scraper is the best way to safely and easily remove all that bacteria in one easy step.

3. Eat less sugar and carbs: They may taste good but sugar and carbs are food for stinky bacteria. If your diet is heavy in sugar and carbs brushing may not be enough to prevent bad breath, food particles and bacteria from the esophagus and stomach can seep into your mouth while you sleep, re-fertilizing the bacteria in your mouth. Beer is one of the worst morning breath culprits, not only is it carb heavy but the effect of drinking it often leads the drinker into skipping their nightly toothbrushing, doubling the bad breath effect. Many people report a dramatic reduction in bad breath after going gluten-free.

4. Drink liquids before bed: Going to bed well hydrated can help reduce dry mouth while you sleep. For added benefit try drinking fennel or mint tea before bed.

5. Consume aromatic digestive herbs before bed: Mint, Fennel and parsley help to fight bad breath by coating your mouth in pleasant smelling oils as well as being anti-bacterial. When you swallow these herbs you also scent your digestive tract which helps to reduce morning breath coming from the gut. Our favorite trick is to end the day with a strong cup of sweet fennel tea. Sweet fennel has been used for centuries to fight bad breath and has the added benefit of being a digestive aid. Drinking tea will also help increase your overnight hydration.

6. Rinse with an alcohol free mouthwash: You may be surprised to learn that there are beneficial bacteria in your mouth! These beneficial bacteria help to balance the biome of your saliva. This keeps your teeth and gums healthy and reduces bad breath. If you use an alcohol based mouthwash you will kill these germs which will allow the bad germs to grow out of control. Using a medicinal mouthwash tonic is a better solution. Medicinal mouthwash tonics, also known as “oil pulling” these tonics use healthy oils like coconut and sesame with helpful essential oils to control bacteria, clean between the teeth and detox your mouth. Swishing with an alcohol-free wash also helps to promote saliva production.

7. Swish with salt water: A simple saline solution can do wonders for a troubled mouth. Simply mix 1 teaspoon of salt with 8 oz of warm water and swish for a few minutes. Salt extracts toxins from the mouth. The chemical comprising salt – sodium chloride – forces the liquid in cells to move out of the body when it comes in contact with them. If those liquids are bacterial, they'll be forced out too, effectively helping cleanse the skin.

Morning breath does not need to be a curse, by taking better care of yourself you can improve your bad breath in as little as two weeks. Remember your body is its own ecosystem, if we treat it correctly it will improve and have better health. If your breath has not improved after trying all of these ideas see a doctor, chronic bad breath can be a sign of underlying health issues like diabetes, lactose intolerance, infections and lung disease can cause chronic bad breath.

Remember keeping a regular hygiene routine is your best bet in preventing bad breath!